In October of 2015, we theorized that 3D Printing could very well be the future of the tire industry. It seems that Goodyear has decided to ride the wave into the future with their Goodyear Eagle-360 3D printed concept tire.

One of two new concept Tires the company announced recently, the Eagle-360 uses 3D printing technology to make customized treads available to their consumers. Since this is one of the practical uses of 3D printing that we anticipated in our post, we’re pleased to see the industry proving us right and availing itself of the possibilities.

Video: The Goodyear Eagle-360 Concept Tire

It’s obvious that in designing the Eagle-360 and other models, Goodyear is looking to the future, anticipating that this is the direction toward which everything seems to be heading:

[The] spherical-shaped Eagle-360…was designed with key features of maneuverability, connectivity and biomimicry for autonomous mobility, while the IntelliGrip, featuring advanced sensor and treadwear technology, is a solution for the earlier adoption of self-driving vehicles (Goodyear).

If phrases such as “autonomous mobility” and “self-driving vehicles” make you feel as if we’re about to enter the realm of science fiction, know that we’re right there with you. We’re not scared of the changes, however: we’re excited by them, thrilled to live through a time of such rapid technological development.

What does all of this mean for the world of OTR tires? Although it’s still a bit too soon to make definitive statements, we don’t think that anyone will be terribly surprised to hear reports of OTR manufacturers taking a page out of Goodyear’s playbook and offering customized treads to appeal to their various demographics of miners, farmers, and other heavy-equipment users. But only time will tell.

Questions? Thoughts? Opinions? Feel free to sound off in the comment section.

Remember that we carry a full line of OTR tires for all of your big-rig needs. Feel free to contact us for information on our current inventory and to ask about the best deals.

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